In the poultry industry where chickens and other type birds are processed for consumption by the removal of feathers, feet, head, viscera, etc., it is desirable to move the birds rapidly through the processing steps with as little interruption as possible while effectively processing the birds. Most poultry processing plants utilize overhead conveyor systems where the birds are suspended by their legs from shackles in a legs-up attitude, and the shackles which are closely spaced from one another are progressively moved by the conveyor system through the various work stations in the processing plant.
Various automatic oil bag removing machines have been developed and utilized in the past on poultry processing lines; however, the prior art machines have been complicated with numerous moving parts. There are frequent breakdowns and the complicated nature of the machines along with the need for numerous repair parts result in long repair waits and the processor is sometimes required to shut down an entire processing line because of the malfunction of a single piece of equipment. Maintenance on the prior art machines can be very expensive and is often so difficult the poultry processor is not able to undertake maintenance of the equipment by himself. Also, some of the prior art machines are ineffective to properly cut off the oil bags, or are wasteful, cutting away, along with the oil bag, more of the edible chicken meat than necessary.